Automatic take-off motion for weaving machines



March 4, 1930.

J. LUCAS AUTOMATIC TAKE-OFF MOTION FOR WEAVING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 2'7, 192'? ,4 TTOR/VE VS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I lwlii R M j J u L N, m M 1 1| m M Kw m 1 Y m 5% U J a vm Q mm l I I I I I I I I lTlk p I u w MIA n. Q -m b ||..|||!..|I-||-L A TTOR/VE Y8 March 4, 1930. J. LUCAS AUTOMATIC TAKE-OFF MOTION FOR WEAVING mcnmzs Filed Aug. 2'7. 1.927

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AUTOMATIC TAKE-OFF MOTION FOR WEAVING MACHINES Filed Aug. 2'7, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 WITNESS INVENTOR 5 we damn/Mamas I alenxvmfl/ Patented Mar. 4, 1930 2 JONATHAN LUCAS, F SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, ASSIGNOE'TO LUGAS-LAMBGRN LOOM CORPORATION, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPURATION OF NEW YORK AUTOMATIC TAKE-OFF MOTION FOR WEAVING MACHINES Applicationfiled August 27, 1927. Serial No. 215,808.

The invention relates to mechanical motions for Weaving machines more commonly referred to as looms and has for its object to provide a mechanical construction whereby yarn is taken off from the supply of warp yarn on the beam, in contradistinction to being let off therefrom as is usually the case in existing arrangements; a further object of the invention is to provide a simple and reliable take-off motion whereby the warp beam is pickedor rotatably fed in successive steps in such a manner that the amount of warp taken OH in each pick-or successive feed movement of the warp beam represents a uniform and constant amount of yarn. Other objects of the invention will appear from the description hereinafter and the features of novelty will be pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate an example of the invention without defining its limits, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic sectional elevation of the weaving .machine. with the 1nvent1on embodied therein; Fig. 2 1s,

a fragmentary 1 section on the line 22.0f Fig. 1; Fig. 3 isafragmentary horizontal section on the line 3, 3 of Fig. 1; Fig.4 is a'view similar toyFig. Q'takenon the line 4+4 of Fig. 1; Fig. 5is a'fragmentary plan-view;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of the clutch so whereby the warp beam is actuated, and Fig. 7 is a sectional plan viewthereof. As shown in the drawings the warp yarns 10 are carried in the form of a roll 11 upon the warp beam 12 and pass in the usual man- 35 ner'from said'roll 11 over customary guide rollers 13' through the harness, frames 14:

whereby said. warp yarns are alternately shifted in the shed 15 through which the customary shuttle 16 passesin the weaving roll varies with such decrease in diameter so that unless provision is made to counteract the same, the successive steps in the feed of the yarns from the beam correspondingly vary so that the feed of the warp yarns into the shedcorrespondingly changes and results in a defective fabric. In order to overcome this disadvantage andto make it absolutely certain that the feed of the warp yarns into the shed will be uniform and constant andalways in-accordance with each pick regardless of the Variations in the diameter of the roll 11 the followingmechanismis provided.

As shown in the drawings the warp beam 12 is provided with the usual end flanges 20 be tween which the roll 11 of yarns is contained and is mounted by means of trunnions 21 in bearings 22 located upon the frame 23 of themachine. A bevel gear24 is fixed upon one end of the warpbeam 11 and meshes with abevel pinion 25 carried by a stub shaft 26 rotatably mounted in bearings 27 as shown in Fig. 2. The-shaft '26'carries a worm gear 28 which meshes with a worm pinion 29 fixed upon a second stub shaft 30 j'ournalled in bearings 31 and preferably provided at its outer end with a squared projection 32 for the accommodation of a crank handle 33 or equivalent device, whereby 'manualadjustment of the warp beam may be made if for any reason thls should become necessary. A

pinion 34 is fixed'upon the second stub shaft 80 and meshes with a pinion 35 operatively combined with a gear 36 as shown in Fig. 3, the pinion 35 and gear 36 being suitably journalled on the frame ofthe machine. The

gear 36 is in operative engagement with a pinion 37 fixed upon a clutch shaft 38 rotatv ably mounted in a bearing 39 as shown in 3 the shaft 38 further carries a drum orclutch disk 40 which is thus in operative connection with the warp beam 12 through the medium of the gearing above described which con stitut'es a reduction gearing. mounted camming clutch adapted to be rocked alternately in operative feed movements and inoperative movements of recovery is arranged for cooperation with the drum 4:0 to bring aboutv the desired rotative feed of the warp beam 12 and the roll of'yarns 11 in A pivotally successive steps. The said clutch in its illustrated form comprises a closed two-part casing 41 which encloses the drum 40 and is loosely mounted upon the shaft 38 so as to be capable of rocking about the axis of the drum and relatively thereto. The clutch further includes a cam member 42 pivotally mounted at 43 within the casing 41 in surface engagement with the drum 40 as shown in Figs. 6 and 7 a spring 44 serves to maintain said cam member 42 in proper surface engagement with the periphery of the drum 40 as shown in Fig. 6. The cam member 42 is of such type and so arranged that when the clutch is rocked in one direction it will couple the casing 41 and drum 40 together and thereby bring about a rotative feed of the Warp beam 11, while when the clutch is actuated in the opposite direction the cam member 42 will simply move relatively to the drum 40 without causing any movement thereof. It will be clear that during its operative movement the cam member 42 is wedged against the drum 40 in such manner that slippage is practically impossible and a practically posiend of a link 49, the other end of which is movements of recovery.

pivotally connected at 50 with a rocking mem ber 51 mounted upon a shaft 52 suitably supported on the frame 23 of the machine. A connecting rod 53 pivotally connects the rocking member 51 with a crank 54 pivotally mounted upon a disk 55 fixed upon a shaft 56 to which power is applied in any conventional manner. 4

WVith the mechanism so far described, as the disk 55 is rotated by means of power applied to the shaft 56, the crank 54 will be actuated to pivotally reciprocate the rocking member 51 on the shaft 52 through the medium of the connecting rod 53. The pivotal reciprocation of the rocking member 51 is communicated by the link 49 to the operating lever 46 which in turn pivotally rocks the casing 41 about the axis 38 and causes the cam member 42 to describe alternate operative movements and The aforesaid operative movements of the cam member 42 are communicated to the drum 40 and by it to the shaft 38 and to the gearing before described, which gearing in. turn causes the warp beam 12 and with it the roll 11 to be rotatably advanced in successive steps.

In order that this rotative feed of the warp beam 12 and the roll 11 may be varied in proper relation to the progressively decreasing diameter of the roll 11, means are provided for progressively adjusting the pivotal connection 48 between the link 49 and the operating lever 46 toward the pivot of the clutch, that is the shaft 38; in this way the rotative feed of the warp beam 12 is automatically so adjusted that the warp yarns 10 will be taken off in a positive manner in successive steps which are uniform and constant regardless ofthe diameter to which the roll 11 has been decreased. In the illustrated example the means whereby these results are obtained comprise a regulator in the form of a bell crank member consisting of spaced arms 57 depending from a sleeve 58 which is loosely mounted upon the shaft 52 as shown in Fig. 4. The aforesaid bell crank member further comprises one or more members 59 which project radially outward from the sleeve 58 in directions transverse to the direction of the members 57. A roller 60 is journalled between the members 57 and is arranged for surface engagement with the peripheral surface of the roll of the warp yarns 11 as shown in Fig. 1. Counterweights 61 are mounted upon the members 59 preferably so as to be adjustable thereon and serve to maintain the roller 60 in the aforesaid surface engagement with the roll of warp yarns 11. An arm 62 depends from the sleeve 58 and is pivotally connected with a link 63 which in turn is pivotally connected at 64 with the link 49.

WVith this arrangement, as the previously described rotative feed of the warp beam 12 takes place and the warp yarns 10 are positively taken off from the roll 11 in periodic steps as the weaving operation proceeds, the diameter of the roll 11 will gradually and progressively decrease. This decrease in the diameter of the roll 11 will be closely followed by the roller 60 through the action of the weight or weights 61 and accordingly will cause the crank member 57-59 to be rocked about the axis 52in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1. This movement of the bell crank member is communicated to the sleeve 58 and to the depending arm 62 and is transmitted to the link 63 in the form of a pulling force which is exerted upon the link 49 and gradually causes the sliding block 47 to move lengthwise of the operating rod 46 toward the shaft 38 as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. The pivotal and sliding connection between the clutch operating lever 46 and the operating mechanism whereby actuation of the camming clutch is brought about is thus gradually and automatically shifted relatively to the operating rod 46 to positions progressively nearer to the pivot about which the clutch is operated. As a result of this, while the operative movements of the actuating mechanism remain at all times the same the operative movements of the camming clutch are automatically varied as changes in the position of the sliding block 47 take place on the operating rod 46. The rotative feed movements of the warp beam 12 will accordingly be also varied; the arrangement and operation being such that this variation in the rotative feed of the warp beam 12 is in strict accordance with the decrease in thediameter of the roll 11 so that the amount of warp yarns which is taken off from the roll is uniform and constant throughout a given weaving operation without regard to the changes which take place in the diameter of the roll 11 as the weaving operation proceeds.

The nature and construction of the camming clutch are such" that very minute and fine changes in the feed relation between the cam member 42 and the drum 40 are possible, this being due to the fact that no ratchet teeth, pawls or equivalent devices are required in the construction and operationof the aforesaid clutch. The operative feed movements of said clutch thus follow rigidly the minute changes which take place in the position of the sliding block 47 on the rod 46, as the warp yarns 10 are progressively taken off from the roll 11. The mechanism is extremely simple in construction and is of maximum efliciency in operation.

Various changes in the specific form shown and described may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. In a weaving machine, the combination of a warp beam carrying a roll of warp yarn, an intermittently operated friction clutch for rotatively advancing said warp beam in successive steps, and a regulator controlled by said warp beam and operatively associated with said clutch for automatically adjusting said clutch to vary the rotation of the beam in accordance with the progressive decrease in the diameter of the roll of yarn whereby the yarn is taken off in successive amounts which are uniform and constant. I

2. In a weaving machine, the combination of a warp beam-carrying a roll of warp yarn, an intermittently operated friction clutch for rotating said warp beam in successive steps, lever mechanism including a pivotal connection with said clutch for operating the same,

and means controlled by said roll of yarn for automatically adjusting said pivotal connec-i tion in accordance with the progressive decrease in the diameter of said roll ofyarn to correspondingly vary the rotation of said warp beam in a manner to take off: the yarns in successive steps which. are un form and constant in amount.

3. In a weaving machine, the combination of a warp beam carrying a roll of warp yarn, a clutch for rotating said warp beam in successive steps, a pivoted operating lever whereby said clutch in rocked in alternate operative movements and inoperative movements of recovery, mechanism pivotally connected with said operating lever for pivotally actuatingthesame, and means controlled by said; 1

. l warp beam whereby the pivotal connection between said mechan sm and said lever is progressively shiftedrelatively to the latter toward its pivot as the diameter of said roll of warp yarn decreases, to thereby-varythe rotation of the beam accordingly and to take off the yarn in successive, uniform amounts.

otally connected with said rocking member and pivotally and slidably connected with said lever, mechanism for actuating said rocking member to operate said lever and clutch, and means controlled by said roll of yarn whereby the pivotal and slidable connection between said link and lever is adjusted length wise of the latter in accordance with the progressive decrease in the diameter of said roll of yarn to correspondingly vary the rotation of said warp beam in a manner to take off the yarns in successive steps which are constant and uniform in amount.

5. In a weaving machine, the combination of a warp beam carrying a roll of warp yarn, a drum connected with said warp beam, a clutch arranged to rock about the axis of said drum and to alternately grip the same and to move relatively thereto in movements of recovery, an operating lever connected with said clutch, a rocking member, a link pivotally connected with said rocking member and pivotally and slidably connected with said lever, mechanism for actuating said rocking member to operate said lever and clutch,

a bell-crank member, a roller mounted on said bell-crank member and adapted to bear against the peripheral surface of said roll of yarn, weighted means carried by the bellcrank member'whereby said roller is maintained in surface engagement with said roll of yarn, an arm connected with said .bellcrank member, and a connection from said arm to said link whereby the pivotal connection of the latter with said operating lever is slidably adjusted toward the pivot-of said clutch as the diameter of said roll of yarn progressively decreases, to thereby vary the rotative feed of said warp beam accordingly and to take off the yarn in successive uniform amounts.

6. In a weaving machine, the combination of a warp beam carrying a roll of warp yarn, an intermittently operated friction clutch whereby said warp beam is rotatably fed in successive steps, a pivoted bell-crank member, a roll carried thereby in surface engagement with said roll of yarn, and a connection between said bell-crank member'and said clutch whereby the latter is automatically adjusted to vary the feed of said warp beam in accordance with the progressive decrease in the diameter of said roll of yarn to thereby take off the yarn in successive amounts which are uniform and constant.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

JONATHAN LUCAS, 

